


The Assassin

by BlueBoar



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Angst, Bisexual Male Character, Dad Spy (Team Fortress 2), Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Intersex Character, Nonbinary Character, Other, Sexual Content, Smoking, Tenth Class (Team Fortress 2), character with past csa, mention of csa, nonbinary OC, they/them pronouns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:33:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29360343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueBoar/pseuds/BlueBoar
Summary: This is a fanfic following the life of my 10th class TF2 OC; Avaris, the Assassin.Avaris is a sort of apprentice to Spy in their youth before he betrays and nearly kills them.  They later follow him into joining the merc group with the intent of making his life a living hell only for them to fall into a tangled relationship with the team's Medic.
Relationships: RED Medic/Original Character(s), Scout's Mother/Spy (Team Fortress 2)
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My version of Spy is named Gérard Lapin jus so no one is confused.  
> 

Gérard checks the tracker again before cutting down a dark alleyway, blending so well into the darkness that only the embers on the end of his cigarette threaten to betray his existence. His shoulders are a bit tight as he approaches his quarry. A usual mark requires care, but someone who had caught a fellow agent unaware and killed him without struggle had to be someone meriting more caution.

He snubs the cigarette butt against the crumbling wall of the alleyway as he approaches a dumpster lit by filtering moonlight, a small figure in shabby clothes leaning over half into it. The figure lets out a soft “ooof!”, pushing back against the dumpster so they can land back on the ground. They turn half in his direction as they rummage in a translucent trash bag full of day-old bread, looking for pieces that aren’t too hard or moldy.

He nearly stumbles as something awful dawns on him. His expression is usually schooled into a skillful mask, unconcerned when it comes to taking human life, but now it’s outside his control as his lips twist into a grimace. As close as he is to them now, there is no mistaking that the figure his tracker has honed in on-- the person he is expected to kill-- is a mere child.

Despite his lapse in focus, they don’t notice him at all as they select a roll that seems edible. The child drops the rest of the bag and grasps their oversized jacket tighter around themself, glancing around before trying to shuffle away past him.

He regains himself just as they get past him, reaching out to yank them back and shove the child against the grimy wall. “Not so fast…” he snaps at them. The child drops their bread and groans, unable to scream as the wind is knocked out of them. With a wheeze they try and wriggle away, slipping half out of their outermost coat, but Gérard holds firmly to their shoulder, turning them back around.

“W-what do you want…?” they pant, big green eyes darting this way and that in desperation for an escape before they settle back on the spy’s face after finding no way out.

“You ‘ave an item on you zhat I ‘ave been tracking, a watch, to be exact…" he sighs shrewdly. "Where did you get it?"

"What?! Get off me! I don't know what you're talking about!" The child lies shrilly through their teeth, struggling uselessly.

"It would be better for you if you did not lie to me right now…" he mutters, holding them still by the shoulder as he pats them down, looking for any items taken off the dead operative.

"If you do not know what I am talking about, zhan what is zhis?" He asks dryly, pulling the watch from one of their dirty wrists before pulling a pen and wallet from their raggedy jacket pocket. "Tell me zhat you only stole zhis and did nozhing else...zhat you found zhis in zhe garbage and you were not involved…"

"Get your hands off me…! You dirty bastard, old creep…! You're a pervert just like your buddy was!" they squeal before trying to strike out at him.

He drops the items he found on them to grab their wrist. There's a small knife in their hand, a short blade gleaming in the scant light. "Merde, it really was you, wasn't it…?" He sighs grimly, squeezing their wrist in his unyielding grasp until they're forced to drop it, clattering to the pavement with the other items. An awful wave of nausea swells from his stomach up to his throat at the certainty that this child of maybe twelve or thirteen killed his coworker and is the one he's now meant to dispatch in turn.

"Fuck you, let me go!" They shriek in real fear now as the realization that they're outmatched, and now without the element of surprise, sets in.

"Hush, don't you understand…? I can't just let you go now…" he mutters balefully, hand nearly trembling, as he swiftly presses the muzzle of a silenced pistol to their temple. "Merde, don't you know zhat I don't want to do zhis…?" He asks, unable to look directly into their face. He can't help but imagine the face of his own son who must be nearly as old as this child now, maybe even the same height. He really isn't sure he can even clearly remember Jeremy's face and that makes the guilt all the worse.

"Please, please don't kill me...I'll do whatever...whatever you want…" they beg him in the trembling voice, high and airy as tears and snot stream down their frightened, scrunched up face. "I just... he was too rough, I didn't want to again…!" They hiccup with the full force of a child in hysterics.

"What are you…? I dont want to...petite chou, please just calm down, zut alors, here…" the flustered spy mutters, letting them go and quickly holstering his gun to instead shove a handkerchief from his suit pocket into their face instead. "Per'aps you should just tell me what happened wizh Monsieur Walker...why you did what you did, so I can understand…" he sighs, already sure he won't be able to kill the child, but not yet knowing how he can resolve the situation.

"That's n-not what he told me his name was…" they sniffle, wiping at their already raw nose. "He was looking for someone to pick up on the street, someone young...I needed the cash...I wanted somewhere to sleep. He took me to his hotel room a-and...I've still got bruises…! All I did was slip something in his drink...he'd do it to some other kid if I didn't…" they tell him, still sniffling, but raising their chin in defiance.

"Merde….merde…" he mutters, stepping away from them to pace back and forth, his stomach turning to the revelation. He massages his temple with one hand before putting a cigarette between his lips and lighting it, puffing anxiously on it and trying to calm himself. "Where zhe hell are your parents…? You need to go home, you need to get out of here!"

"What…? You're not gonna kill me then…?" the child asks, still cowering against the wall with a stupefied expression.

"I'm telling you to go, get out of here! I'm not going to kill you, I can't...I don't want to." He tells them sternly, clenching his jaw as he starts on a second cigarette.

"I can't do that...I can't go home!" They yelp in confused desperation, leaning forward to cling to his sleeve beseechingly. "I really just can't...my dad...he's just as bad…" they choke out, starting to tear up again.

"Salud...nom de Dieu…" Lapin curses again as he reels at the situation before him. "Merde, you are coming with me, zhen...If I don't kill you and you do not go home...someone else might just be sent to take care of you...but if you come wizh me, per'aps I can smoozh zhings over…" he tells them, accepting that the child is his problem now.

They stare up at him, weighing their options before realizing that they really only have one. "Promise me you aren't like that other guy...promise you aren't a creep…"

"Mon Dieu, non, I would never!" He mutters back, lip curling in disgust at the thought.

"If you don't wanna kill me or fuck me, then you're better than most people I meet…" they murmur back, their pinched shoulders relaxing a bit. "But...I'm hungry...I haven't eaten since I finished going through that guy's cash…" they say, looking timidly up at their would-be killer.

Gérard rolls his eyes slightly, tugging his arm out of their grip to try and regain his cold and snobbish demeanor. "Fine, we will find you somezhing on zhe way to the 'otel, alright?" He murmurs, expression softening slightly as he guides them gently with a hand on their shoulder to make sure they follow. "What is your name zhen, petite puce?" He prompts as he hurries them along.

"Puce? What the hell does that mean?" They ask breathlessly as they nearly have to jog to keep up with his much longer strides, an expression of disbelief on their face as they're forced to put their trust in such a stranger.

"I called you a little flea, you look as if you have enough of zhen on you, oui?" He scoffs.

"I hate my real name, I don't use it...I've been going by Avery...but it's just something random I picked…" they admit in embarrassment as the two walk away from the bad part of town, the buildings getting slightly nicer as they go.

"Pffft, how pedestrian...but at least zhe concept of aliases isn't foreign to you...no need to tell me your legal name if you dislike it, but I'll be calling you Avaris-- it's Greek, which has more class...and it is pronounced zhe same as avarice since you are a greedy little thing..." He hums, self-satisfied.

On their way out of the seedier part of town, Gérard motions them inside a Chinese restaurant lit in flickering neon light; one of the few places still open so late into the night. Avaris watches him in wonder as he speaks fluently with the employees, ordering a few different things for them. He sets a fifty on the counter and tells them to keep the change before picking up the bag and sweeping back out with Avaris.

"So, you gotta speak at least three languages then, right…?" They observe as the city around them becomes drastically nicer the farther they go.

"Ha, I speak many more languages than zhat…" he snorts, rolling his eyes. "Someone in my profession must be able to blend in among many different types of people … "

"So...who do you, like work for…? Is it the government or something?"

"Hmmmm, oui, et non...sometimes a country's government might pay for zhe services of my organization...so, I am not tied to any government in particular….but it is better zhat we save the details for later. The city street is not zhe best place to be airing such secrets, oui?" He cuts the subject off. The two walk past a park and into the wealthier part of the city, populated with tall and luxurious hotel buildings.

"If you can afford something like this, then why the hell did that creep take me to a dirty motel…?" Ave snorts as Gérard leads them towards one of those ostentatious buildings with rows of warmly lit windows reaching toward the sky.

"Because 'e was scum...but probably also because you look incredibly out of place here, so stay close to me and try not to look more conspicuous zhan you already do…" he mutters to them as they get to the front of the building and a doorman lets them in with only a slight glance of suspicion at the grimy child accompanying the Frenchman in his neatly pressed suit.

Gérard steers them with a hand on their shoulder, keeping them close to him as he walks up to the help desk, adjusting his suit and putting on a charming smile for the plain, mousey young woman sitting behind it. "Bonsoir, Mademoiselle, I hate to bother such a beautiful young woman, but I was 'oping I could per'aps get another keycard for my little Charlie here…? My ex-wife decided to drop our child off early…" he drawls in a tone full of flattery.

"Oh, uh, I suppose I can do that…! I should just let my boss know there's another occupant, might change up pricing…just because kids are sometimes considered a liability..." the young woman agrees hurriedly with a slight blush.

"Ah, you don't need to worry about zhat, ma cheri, Charlie is a good child, and tired enough from my ex-wife's fussing to go right to bed...I promise the state of zheir clothing is only because of her dressing zhem, zhey aren't truly such a little ruffian!" Gérard dotes, drawing Avaris closer to ruffle their greasy hair. Avaris resists the urge to pull away, only giving a slightly annoyed expression like any typical adolescent might give.

"Well, I guess I can trust you, you seem like a good dad…" she giggles, relenting after a moment and holding out a second key card.

"Merci, Mademoiselle…" Gérard purrs smoothly, no part of him betraying how her choice of words really cuts at the core of him. He takes the card and carefully gives it to Avaris. "Come now, Charlie, I have a change of clothes for you upstairs."

Avaris follows him obediently to the elevator. "I thought you were supposed to be calling me Avaris, what's with 'Charlie', then…?" they ask as the doors close.

"Avaris is between you and I. Likewise, you may call me Gérard Lapin in private, but you must be flexible with using different names wherever you go if you are to travel wizh me from now on."

"So, that's your plan for me…? I'm just going to tag along with you?" They ask incredulously.

"You're going to work wizh me...it's zhe only way I think I can justify not dispatching you...in light of what you did, I think it is clear you have zhe aptitude for zhe work...and I was hardly older zhan you when I fell into it…" he shrugs, eyes trained on the elevator doors, quickly striding out when they open.

"You're really gonna have me be a--?" They start, scrambling after him as he makes a beeline for his room and quickly opens the door.

"Shhh, you really must learn to catch onto context wizhout demanding I say zhe exact words…" he shushes them as he quickly ushers them in before closing and locking the door behind the two.

Avaris freezes once inside, a sick feeling rising in their throat when they see one bed, their knuckles white where they grip the bag of take-out.

Gérard sweeps past them, moving to pull a suitcase up onto the bed and opening it up. He rummages for a moment before pulling out a baseball Jersey and jeans that still have the tags on. He turns back to them to hand them the clothing. "Here, zhis should fit you, or come close enough…" he sighs, regret and guilt tugging at him as he gives the clothes to them.

"Things like this really aren't convincing me you aren't a creep, you know...like really, why the hell have little boy's clothes with you…" Avaris mutters tersely back, trying to mask the way their voice trembles.

"I already told you I am not zhat sort of man...or razher zhat breed of monster. You can 'ave zhe bed and I will take zhe couch... Zhese clozhes were meant to be a gift for someone, but it doesn't matter now, you can't go on wearing zhose rags. Now, you need to bazhe before zhe smell makes me change my mind about zhis…" he snaps back, closing up his suitcase again and throwing it onto an uncomfortable-looking couch against the opposite wall.

"I'm gonna eat first, then I'll shower...so long as there's no funny business…" Avaris asserts, starting to relax again, part of them really daring to hope he doesn't mean any harm to them now. They march themself over to sit on the edge of the bed and set to digging into the bag of food.

"Tch, I'll leave you to zhat, zhen...I got you zhe keycard because I want zhis to still be your choice...but I promise I will do all I can to help you if you stay…" he murmurs back to them as he's halfway back out the door, his voice uncharacteristically soft for a moment. "Ah, but keep zhe door locked, I will be back shortly…" he adds quickly before slipping out and closing the door behind him.

Leaving them behind in the room, he walks with purposeful strides back out of the hotel to find a secluded public phone on the street. His first call is quick and business-like. He exchanges a code with the man who answers and sets up a secure transport for him and the child to leave the next morning.

His second call takes a moment to work up to. He clenches his jaw and lights a cigarette to settle himself before he calls. He gets the answering machine and sighs with a sick sort of relief. "Ma amour...ma petite chou fleur...I know I have already canceled far too many times before...I-I know I have let you down enough already, but I don't zhink I shall be able to see you zhis coming week. Something...something very difficult and unexpected has come up. You must know how much it hurts me to have to stay away...I will make it up to you...I swear…" he murmurs softly through a knot in his throat. He hangs the phone up with still so much left unsaid. He leans against the wall of the phone booth despite himself for a moment, his chest aching. He smokes two more cigarettes out of stress on his way back to the hotel wearing a sullen frown.

His expression softens again when he opens the door to his hotel room, however. Avaris is curled onto their side, fast asleep on the bed. The outfit he gave them is on, but baggy on their malnourished frame that had been hidden before in the shabby layers of their other clothes.

He can't help but snort in amusement at the mess they've left around the room as he closes the door behind him. The bathroom door is left open, a towel and their dirty clothes piled and damp on the floor. On the bed around them is the trash from the food they ate, soy sauce in one container threatening to drip onto the covers.

He rolls his eyes before moving to carefully dispose of the garbage, piling their old clothes on top of the containers he throws out as well. He shakes his head slightly as he turns back to the sleeping child, tugging one of the covers up to cover them before moving to sprawl himself restlessly over the couch, settling in for a likely sleepless night.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Avaris is roused by the harsh lights being flipped on as Lapin gets up and slips his shoes and jacket back on by the couch. He adjusts his now slept in suit with a frown as Avaris groans and tries to pull the blankets over their face in protest. 

"Do not try to go back to sleep, you only have a few moments to get up, petite puce." Lapin tells them, his voice clear and authoritative as he moves to stand at the end of the bed. 

"Last night was real, and you didn't kill me in the middle of the night, then…" Avaris grumbles, peeking out from under the covers. Their hair stands up in messy clumps around their face, no longer weighed down from grease like it was before they bathed. 

"I am afraid so...and now it is not wise for us to linger here any longer. Since you don't have a passport or any identification, we will ‘ave to go all the way down to a base in the Mojave instead of zhe one in Canada...and we will ‘ave to drive razher zhan take a plane until we can get documents forged for you." Lapin explains shrewdly. 

"If you're some secret agent-assassin type thing, why can't you just have someone send a private jet or helicopter, then? That would be impressive…" Avaris snorts, stretching and crawling out of bed. 

"Fuck, how early is it? You only let me sleep a few hours! Do you know how long it's been since I've slept in a nice bed like that…?" Avaris whines as they stick their fingers between the blinds to glance out at the dark horizon, only the hint of dawn grey breaking over the edge of the city. 

"It may not yet have dawned on you, but a large part of my profession has to do with discretion...we are not in dire need of a helicopter; taking a car will not kill us." Lapin sniffs indignantly. "How old are you zhat you talk like a little sailor?"

"Pffft, I bet you cuss a ton in French or whatever...but, uh, if it's past November, then I guess I'm thirteen now…" Avaris mumbles a bit shyly. 

"Merde, I see that perception might not be your strong suit...it's already mid-December...speaking of which, take my coat, it's cold today…" Lapin sighs, offering them a mauve coat lined with rabbit fur. "I know zhe concept of clean clozhing is new to you, but try not to cover my coat in filzh, it is a designer jacket…" he warns them with a slight grimace as they take the coat from him. 

"Don't they say it's bad to wear clothes made of real dead animals …? Avaris asks even as they stroke the soft fur in wonder. 

"Zhree-zhousand euro is more zhan worzh zhe lives of a few rabbits, oui? Besides, I cannot imagine what would make you zhink a man like me would care so much for zhe life of any creature in consideration of how many human lives I ‘ave taken…" he shoots back with a snobbish scoff. 

"I dunno...some people like animals better than other people...I liked to go catch lizards and bugs to play with outside 'nstead'a playing with the other kids…" Avaris mumbles self-consciously. "And you were sympathetic to me, letting me live, right?" 

"Ah, yes, well...Are you ready to go now? We're wasting time talking." Lapin clears his throat, quickly changing the subject. 

"Uh, yeah, I guess so…" Avaris nods, stepping into their boots and pulling the oversized coat on. Lapin only nods in acknowledgment before briskly opening the door and ushering them out into the hall. 

He's mostly silent on their way down and out of the hotel, eyes sweeping their surroundings with each new bit of ground covered. His stride leads them purposefully out of the wealthy part of the city and once more into the seedier neighborhoods. 

"In here…" Lapin murmurs, leaving the sidewalk to duck inside the dark gaping maw of a graffiti covered parking garage attached to a defunct mall. Avaris follows him up three floors, their footsteps echoing against the vast empty stone wall. "Zhere, zhat should be zhe car I called for us…" he sighs in relief when a sleep charcoal car finally comes into view, alone in the middle of the third floor. 

A man in a dark suit leans against the back of the car, watching the two approach expectantly. "Lapin…" the man hums in greeting with a slight nod. His dark eyes look past Lapin to appraise Avaris suspiciously, his lips squirming into a slight frown. 

"Monsieur Brown." Lapin greets him in return as he closes the distance and offers his hand. 

The other man doesn't shake it, glancing at the hand and chewing on his cheek before looking into Lapin's eyes with his brow furrowed shrewdly. "What's with the kid?" 

"No one told you zhe situation, zhen?" Lapin asks, his hackles raising slightly as he lowers his hand. Avaris stays a couple of steps behind him, peering cautiously around at the other man in careful curiosity. 

"I only know what you were sent here for in the first place… and that's why I was expecting you to have a body and not some kid trailing after you…" Brown shoots back, straightening up and crossing his arms. 

"Zhere was a change of plans...I know you were a former partner of Monsieur Walker, but it turns out he was a traitor of sorts...he is certainly not someone worzh us avenging." Lapin murmurs, clearing his throat. 

"No way, I don't know what the fuck the situation was, but Roy loved his job and wouldn't have risked it!" Brown snaps, leaning forward aggressively with his shoulders squared. 

"Oui, and you really zhink zhere is no way he could have done somezhing unforgivable? You cannot really have known him; none of us truly know each ozher, we only ‘ave our orders to rely on…" Lapin spits a bit tersely, shoving Avaris a bit behind him as Brown's stance turns threatening. His attempt to shelter the child only brings more scrutiny onto then as Brown scowls with a dawning realization. 

"Lapin, does this kid have something to do with all this?" He demands incredulously as he steps forward, nearly coming nose to nose with the spy. 

"Non, zhis is my child." Lapin retorts with a scoff as if that should be obvious despite all the evidence contradicting such a conclusion. 

"You're not as good a liar as you think you are, Lapin...if that kid was yours, you wouldn't have them here with you while we talk about murder...that kid being yours makes less sense than the answer just being that the kid is a little fucking monster…" Brown sneers, pulling his gun out quickly. 

"Wait, zhere is more to zhis zhat you still do not understand…! I explained all of it already to our superiors…" Lapin snaps, forcing Avaris a step back. "Brown, you may ‘ave thought you knew Walker, but he was a vile, disgusting man...he did deserve to die for his transgressions-- he was a predator zhat preyed on children … " 

"What, so you just believe whatever the little murderer said? Or are you covering and blaming Walker because you wanted to keep the kid for yourself?" Brown accuses, raising the gun. "Look, Lapin, I'll give you a chance to hand the kid over and we can forget the whole thing...I'll take care of your objective since you didn't have the guts to do it and we'll go back to base with everything squared up nicely…" he offers, trying to step around Lapin to get to Avaris. 

Avaris gasps softly, squeezing their eyes shut when the man shoves the barrel of the gun in their face, expecting everything to come to a quick end.

The gunshot they're expecting doesn't come and there's a muffled, fleshy crack instead. They open their eyes to see that Lapin has seized the other man by the wrist and brought his elbow down on Brown's forearm, sharply snapping the thin lower arm bones. Brown grunts in pain, his gun clattering to the cement floor as his hand goes limp, his bones snapped so cleanly that everything below the break is useless. 

As much a trained assassin as Lapin, that isn’t enough to finish Brown off, however. He goes for his knife with his free hand, pivoting away to try and stab Lapin in the back. 

"Don't…!" Avaris cries out, throwing themself forward into the fray to try and yank the knife away. They grab the blade itself with their little hands, adrenaline dulling the sting. Avaris can't wrench it from his grip as their hands are sliced and slip uselessly, but it gives Lapin a moment to roll away to the side. Brown ruthlessly backhands the child in rage, knocking them to the ground. 

"Bastard…" Lapin growls, straightening up and pointing his own gun with confident and deadly accuracy. He pulls the trigger without ceremony, shooting Brown in the back of the head before he can do any more damage. 

The body falls next to Avaris with a thud, a neat hole blooming red in the center of his forehead where the bullet ripped through. Avaris groans in pain and distress, squirming away from the body whose still wide-open eyes seem to still glare accusations at them. 

Lapin kicks the body away before kneeling down beside Avaris with an expression of paternal worry taking over his features. "Let me see…" he prompts, gently taking their hands in his and pressing them open so he can examine the wounds with calculating eyes. "Good, it does not look like you will lose your fingers." He turns to pat down Brown's body, pulling car keys from the dead man's pocket. "Get up, Avaris...we still need to be going…" 

Avaris awkwardly gets up, trying to use their elbows to pull themself up without pressing their wounds onto the gritty cement. "Thank you for not giving me to that prick…" Avaris sniffs, leaning against the car once they're standing up. "Are you...gonna be in trouble for killing that guy?" They ask, their cheek swelling slightly where they had been backhanded. 

"For killing him? Non, he is just a driver...he had decent training, but was not good enough to do anyzhing more zhan cart his betters around. You saw how well he followed orders after all, oui?" Lapin laughs lightly as he puts a hand on their shoulder and moves them a bit over so he can pop the trunk open and retrieve a first aid kit. "Give me your hands again...I'm no doctor, but I know basic first aid."   
Obediently, they stretch out their trembling, blood coated hands. After rummaging a moment in the kit, Lapin pulls out a large bottle of rubbing alcohol and pours a generous amount over their wounds, washing the blood away and revealing the long lacerations. They wince hard, clenching their jaw, but not letting themself cry out, wanting to show Lapin that they aren't so weak. 

He smiles faintly at that, finding that he's strangely proud of them as he wraps up their wounds. "Go sit in zhe car now and I'll join you in a moment." 

"O-okay…" they sigh, shuddering slightly as they try to slow their breathing down. They stumble over to the passenger side and open it up, groaning at the pain it puts them in to flex their fingers. When they sit down they pull their knees to their chest and put their feet on the seat, wrapping their arms around themself. They watch in the rearview mirror as Lapin pours the rest of the rubbing alcohol onto the body. He lingers for a moment, staring down at the body in disdain and lighting up a cigarette and taking slow pensive drags before he flicks the butt onto the body, setting it alight. After that, he turns and climbs into the driver's seat beside Avaris, sparing them just a quick glance before starting the car. 

"Put your seatbelt on, and try to relax, zhere is no use for a sensitive reaction to such zhings." He lectures them as he drives, pulling out of the parking garage and into the city street. "You've killed someone before, but it was with poison...which is well and good when you can afford zhe time for it, but you cannot be afraid of a scuffle, petit puce. How would you have reacted if you had managed to stick me wizh your little knife in the alley? Maybe ‘ave sat down and cried over it?" 

"No, I--" they start to protest before biting it back. "Sorry...I was really surprised…but I'll do better…" they mutter, turning their face away to look out the window as the city passes by and they head to the highway. 

"Do not be too hard on yourself, you will get proper training and you will learn in time...here, this might help steady you…" he chuckles gently, flipping open his cigarette case to offer them one. 

Avaris frowns at first before cautiously taking a cigarette. Lapin takes one for himself and lights both of them, taking a drag from his own and glancing at Avaris out of the corner of his eye expectantly.   
They lift it to their lips and suck in a breath curiously. As soon as the smoke hits their lungs they promptly burst into a coughing fit, dropping the still smoldering cigarette onto the floor of the car where it singes the mat. Their eyes water and their nostrils flare as they grimace. "That was awful!" 

Lapin can't help but snort with laughter as he watches, now driving in the lonely dark of the highway. "It is at least a distraction, oui?" He laughs, taking another drag from his cigarette, mockingly enjoying it as they squint at him in annoyance. "Now you at least feel less in shock, even if you are irked at me now…"

"How the hell do you smoke so much? It's so gross…" Avaris pouts, rolling their window down and leaning over to throw the unfinished cigarette out the window before it sets the interior on fire. 

"I'm surprised you ‘ave never tried a cigarette before since you've been living on zhe street...I was already hooked by your age and would smoke butts I found in zhe gutter...of pickpocket if I was desperate for a full one…I'd take zhe wallets as well, of course. Those are the types of skills that got me to where I am today…" 

"Is that why you didn't wanna kill me? 'Cause you were some sort of street kid too…?" Avaris ventures, wriggling in their seat so they can turn and stare at him intently. 

"Actually, non, zhat was not zhe reason...but zhat is a reason I know you will be capable of zhis type of work...I was recruited wizhout ever having killed yet, but you have, so per'aps we can consider zhat a leg up...but zhe most important part is zhat you are nobody to zhe world…" 

"That sounds so fucked up, but I'd probably rather be a nobody than who I was as a kid…" Avaris sighs, leaning back against the seat. 

"It is zhe type of people zhey want, people wizh no ties who can disapear… but eizher way, you know you can trust me now, oui? I have killed someone for you now." 

"Yeah, I guess that's true...You know, I can't tell if you're more of a bad guy or good guy, but you might be the nicest person I've ever met…" Avaris yawns as the steady hum of the car starts to lull them after their sleep being cut so short previously. 

"Merde, petit puce, zhat is so very sad…" Lapin shakes his head with a wry snort. "But zhose notions of good and bad...zhey will not be of any use to you anymore… morals like zhat help no one. You will kill many whether they deserve it or not if all goes well, so what matters is what is good or bad for you and how you…" he trails off, glancing over at them and realizing they're fast asleep, head lolling and messy hair in their face. "Ah, well, you will figure it out, I'm sure…" he sighs, unable to help a small quirk of his lips in amusement.


End file.
